One True Love
by RavenclawSweetheart8
Summary: This is a story about Albus Dumbledore, and his best friend, Gellert Grindelwald. Set during the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. AU Rated T for character Death. fixed!


Silently, I stared into the mirror. I knew Harry came here every night, and I was glad every time he left. It meant I could have it all to myself, staring wondrously into its depths until daybreak, when the sun's rays would bounce off the surface, shaking me from my trance and reminding me where I was.

Every morning, I would stand, my old, weary bones creaking noisily, and my way toward the Great Hall. No one knew, no one would ever know, what it was I saw in the mirror. And I preferred it this way.

Minerva, the kind dear, often tried, unsuccessfully, to get close, but each time I found a new excuse to push her away. If only she knew. If only they all knew.

Often times, she would look at me, concern filling her deep blue eyes, and I would smile, brushing her off lightly. The concern was soon replaced with hurt, and it pained me to do it, but I pretended not to see. There was nothing I could do anyway.

Months passed, and still, I found myself staring into the mirror. I wanted to leave, to stop depending on it, but the harder I tried, the more powerless I felt. I began to feel weak, depressed, but only I could tell. I lived a façade of events, my life a simple illusion to those who did not know me well enough to understand. And no one would.

I knew the mirror was slowly killing me, driving me steadily into madness. I had no wish to stop though, or so I told myself. Really, I felt insane to keep visiting the mirror. Tonight will be the last, I told myself, but I soon found myself blinking in the morning light after another sleepless night spent contentedly before the mirror. I had to stop.

No, I mustn't. Stop. The mirror….

_Green eyes crinkling into a delightful smile. _

_"Of course." He heard himself saying. "Gellert, you're bloody brilliant." _

_Gellert scoffed, blushing slightly. He lowered his face, hiding the blush from Albus. Glancing up, he saw the startling blue eyes staring intently at him. "Albus?" He asked, worried, as Albus' eyes glazing in deep thought._

_"You know Gellert?" He interrupted, blinking back at the green-eyed boy. "I—"_

_"Albus! Get in here!" It was his brother, Aberforth._

_"Do you need help with Arianna?" Gellert asked, the twos boys rising to their feet._

_"No." Albus whispered. He looked back at the house, where he, his older brother, and younger sister lived alone. "I- we've got it." He turned and hurried off inside, leaving Gellert alone on the street._

Arianna…. Albus shook himself awake. His sister was long dead, driven mad. He could do nothing for her now. Stumbling to sit up, he wondered why he had suddenly remembered this memory, let alone, dreamt it.

Gellert had been his best friend. They had gotten along so well, because they were both brilliant at wand work.

And then…. Gellert had gotten the Elder Wand. That's where everything had gone so wrong. He had become too confident, bragging, gloating. No one could beat him.

And then Albus beat him. Gellert was taken away.

Albus found himself once again at the mirror. He had no recollection of walking here, although that hardly bothered now, he was already here. He looked up into the mirror, and for a sudden heart-wrenching moment, he saw only himself, blue eyes wide, slack-jawed face pale.

And then, with a sigh, he saw the auburn haired boy walk up beside him, green eyes twinkling in the pale glass.

_Albus._ He mouthed.

A shiver passed through Albus, an ancient memory surfacing in his mind.

_"Albus." Gellert smiled. "I knew you would come." _

_Albus smiled, simply nodding as they walked out into the dark, quiet street. _

_"She is such a heavy sleeper." He continued, pausing to look back at his silent house._

_Albus, however, had far less luck. Aberforth had caught him halfway down the stairs:_

_"Albus? What're you doing so late?" Aberforth rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Is it Arianna?"_

_"No." Albus replied quietly, stepping hastily around his brother. "I'm going outside."_

_Aberforth narrowed his eyes. "With that Grindelwald kid? That's not fair Albus! I had friends too! Plenty of them! I had to quit school to take care of _our_ sister! But you! You were too proud to quit school! I thought you could have at least helped more during summer holiday." A ringing silence followed Aberforth's outburst, soon followed by Arianna's cries for help. Aberforth looked at his brother in disgust. "Go." He said, turning on his heel toward his sister's room._

_Aberforth didn't understand, Albus told himself repeatedly. He would see in due time, and he would forgive him._

"_Albus? I think I found a mistake." Gellert called._

_Albus made his way over to the pile of papers before them. The Greater Good. Gellert leaned over him, pointing towards a sentence, correcting it quietly._

_Albus heard nothing, his blood pounding in his ears. Gellert's arm brushed his softly, his breath in his ear. Albus resisted the urge to grab him, to pull him closer._

The mirror was showing the scene, not how it had happened, but how he had wished it had happened.

The young Gellert rested his elbow lazily on Albus' shoulder, smirking impishly. He lowered his head, brushing his cheek against Albus' earlobe, his cheek, his neck.

Albus shuddered, turning away from the mirror. _Merlin, no._ He would be unable to handle himself if he stayed, so he turned, dashing from the room, leaving a desperate looking reflection in the Mirror of Erised.

"_Albus, are you okay?" Gellert asked, innocently placing his hand on the other's shoulder._

Oh, Merlin._ Albus thought. If he knew what he did to him, well, then he hid it well. Pulling away, Albus nodded. "Just thinking."_

He had no idea when it began, but a very tired Albus found himself waking more often in the room. He suspected sleepwalking, but could never catch himself. He locked doors, but unlocked them in his sleep.

Minerva became more and more worried, stopping him one day after dinner.

"Albus _what_ in the name of Merlin is wrong with you?" She hissed, pulling him aside as students rushed past on their way to their dormitories.

"All in good time." Albus replied, pulling gently from her grasp, and disappearing into the throng of students.

The next morning found him once again sitting before the mirror, but this time Albus was not surprised. Looking sadly up into the mirror, he saw his best friend, his only love, smiling happily back at him.

Unable to stand it anymore, he produced a small knife from his pocket. "No one will ever know," he said.

Powerless. Empty. A shell. He closed his eyes as he ran the cool metal over his wrist, hissing in pain as his blood began to pool on the ground beside him.

Gellert smiled, seeming no to notice as Albus stared at him. Unfazed he handed Albus a copy of The Greater Good. The plan to take control of the Muggles, the lesser beings.

_Albus blinked, a shock coursing through him as their hands touched, if only for a moment._

The knife fell from his grasp, Albus gasping for a breath that would not come. The mirror danced before his eyes, a frowning Gellert falling to his knees, reaching endlessly for his best friend, knowing as Albus did, that they could never be together.


End file.
